Alliance battlecruiser Furious
Furious (CC-900) was a heavily modified Mercury-class battlecruiser in service with the Terran Alliance Star Fleet under the command of Fleet Admiral Casper Hawkins. Design Initially beginning construction as a Mercury-class battlecruiser, part of wartime loss replacements during the Razorbird Crusade, Furious would be substantially modified from her original design as part of the Alliance plan to create a testbed warship to field new technologies which it hoped might be able to change the tide against the avian zealots. A radically new hull design was drawn up on the same dimensions - her spaceframe had already been started - utilizing a new, beam-reflecting hull design and fixed gun mounts which offered greater protection than the standard heavy turrets. She had a narrow, wedge-shaped single hull (as opposed to most Alliance double-hulled designs) reminiscent of a dagger with a smooth surface: she was widely considered similar to a Consortium ship after that nation rejoined the galactic stage. To this formidable fighting machine was added a number of other new innovations: an extremely powerful and sensitive set of experimental sensors and enhanced faster-than-light ansible equipment allowed her to control fleet battles directly in real-time from thousands of light-years away, while the ablative coat added to her hull - giving her her distinctive white appearance - made her practically invulnerable to all but the most concentrated laser and plasma gunfire. Even her bridge received modification, using red hardlight holographic panels and controls as opposed to blue and a simpler, cleaner design to make the controls easier to work with for long periods without developing "blue screen fever." However, her cost was too much: by the time the modifications were complete, the battlecruiser had cost as much as a ship twice her length and twelve times her mass (a Terra dreadnought). Her technological prowess was undeniable, and experience with her equipment led to the adoption of less powerful but cost-effective models for all Alliance flagships, but Alliance artillery experts objected to the fixed nature of her artillery while her ablative coating was considered far too expensive to ever mass produce. Accordingly, a less effective but cheaper variant of the coating was developed in standard Alliance gunmetal grey, and Furious would remain alone among the Alliance fleet with her distinctive appearance. Armament The Furious was slightly different from her Mercury sisters and even the Terra-class dreadnoughts that became the largest vessels to see service in Alliance history in that she had 30.5cm laser cannons, as opposed to the standard 28cm cannons in service aboard the vast majority of Terran warships. While these had a somewhat slower firing rate and increased power strain, their improved destructive ability made them worth their cost; despite that gain, however, they would only be installed on Furious and the later Luna class due to the preference for larger, fixed "boring" mounts and the radical upscaling of battleship artillery in the post-Djangor period. In keeping with Alliance "hail of fire" doctrine, she also had an extensive 15cm and 10.5cm secondary suite for use against smaller ships while the big guns engaged larger targets. History Commission Furious, hull number CC-900, commissioned into the Alliance Star Fleet on December 10th, 2480, as part of the replacements for wartime losses during the ongoing Razorbird Crusades. Captain Sophia Blackwell would take command of the vessel upon launch from the Titan extension of the Saturn shipyards in the Sol system, and Fleet Admiral Casper Hawkins would take her as his flagship - making her the flagship of the entire Alliance Fleet. Early Service & The Razorbird Crusade Furious was primarily based out of the Sol system itself during the Razorbird crusade as the flagship of the 1st Fleet, the last line of defense for Terra. Admiral Hawkins oversaw the war from her bridge, personally directing many of the victories and defeats from afar. The admiral's primary reasoning for hoisting his flag aboard the battlecruiser as opposed to one of the new dreadnoughts fitting out was that the latter were needed on the front lines rather than for home defense, and Furious was more than adequate for the purpose in any case. Admiral Hawkins was also instrumental in bolstering the 4th and 9th Fleets from his meagre reserves to aid the 15th Fleet over Djangor, in what turned into a masterful tactical victory under Admiral James Holland in the Inextinguishable. Third War in Heaven Service Decommissioning Notable officers & crew Fleet Admiral Casper Hawkins You can find the full article here. The intrepid supreme commander of the Alliance star fleet for over sixty years and one of the foremost strategic minds ever produced by the Alliance - or Terra - in its history, widely renowned as "the de Ruyter of space" among Terrans. His remarkable career as the Alliance's sole Fleet Admiral began in 2440 against the Ravasect, and ended only in 2502 with his retirement. Fleet Admiral Altantsetseg The new Fleet Admiral of the Alliance's naval forces and supreme commander of the space fleet, following the retirement of Admiral Hawkins at the age of ninety. Born Terran but raised by Veydreth on Chardok, she would go on to become just as renowned as the man she replaced in the fight against the despotic Sanguine Accord. Captain Terry Pike The Terran-born captain of the Furious and described by Hawkins as "a man of action." Executive Officer Cir'dalar A Veydreth Hunter and the executive officer of the Furious: described by Hawkins as naturally aggressive, but capable of controlling herself when the situation demands. Navigating Officer Alabaster A Hondaaran and the navigation officer of the Furious. Its real name is unknown, so the crew and Hawkins typically referred to it as 'Alabaster' due to the resemblance to the mineral.Category:Starships Category:Alliance Starships Category:Terran Alliance Category:Individual Starships Category:Battlecruisers